History

The Idaw ‘Ali are one of the two most prominent and influential zawaya groups in Mauritania, the other being the Kunta, disseminators of the Qadiriyya tariqa in West Africa who claim to be descendants of the great Arab hero and conqueror of North Africa, Uqba b. Nafi. The basis of the prestige of the Idaw ‘Ali rested in part on their widely recognized sharifian origin. Another basis of their prestige was their introduction of the Tijaniyya tariqa in Mauritania. As descendants of Prophet Muhammad, the Idaw ‘Ali occupied a noble and privileged position in the society that placed them above the other zawaya and lay groups in Mauritania.